<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1665054190236,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000177-ab1c-dfb6-afff-bf5d00c50003","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1665054190236,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000177-ab1c-dfb6-afff-bf5d00c50003","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
$bp("Brid_65054171", {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"936781"}); ","_id":"00000183-acf6-d5ca-a5d7-fefe93440000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedJosh Petitt lived through the nightmare of the Iraq War, working alongside Chris Kyle (of American Sniper fame) and surviving bomb blasts, ambushes, and bloody battles.
After enduring what most people could never imagine, the Purple Heart recipient came home to Los Angeles. Tragically, his struggles have since continued on the home front 18 years later.
‘VETERANS ROW’ HOMELESS SETTLE INTO NEW VA TENT CITY DIGS, BUT PROBLEMS PERSIST
Petitt, like many veterans, is struggling and needs support. He wants to move into affordable housing under construction on the Veterans Affairs campus but is being denied because he makes too much money due to his multiple disabilities.
Joshua Petitt.jpg
Petitt, 39, makes just $43,200 a year in one of America’s most expensive cities. After subtracting $5,000 a month in child support, his $37,200 pay is considered one step above the poverty level in Los Angeles, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest figures.
“I make the money the VA gives me, being 100% disabled,” he told the Washington Examiner. “They are building housing on land that was deeded to soldiers, and a soldier can’t stay there who needs a home because of the money they gave him. If they want some of my money, take some back and just give me one of those apartments.”
Roughly half of the 358 new apartments are reserved for veterans who make less than $41,700 a year, according to figures provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. If a veteran is deemed eligible for full disability payments, their income jumps to Petitt’s level, which is above that threshold.
The remaining housing is said to allow for incomes of up to $50,040 — but Petitt has been told, without explanation, he is not eligible for those either.
Veterans’ advocate Rob Reynolds, who works with the AMVETS service organization in Los Angeles, said our heroes who deserve the highest level of care are being denied because of injuries they suffered in the line of duty.
“We feel our disabled vets are the ones to benefit the most from being at the VA,” Reynolds said. “They are trying to push him into a HUD voucher. He wants to be close to the VA, where he gets psychological appointments and can be around other veterans.”
Last year, Reynolds was one of the driving forces to dismantle a veteran homeless camp from the sidewalk in front of the VA and move them into temporary tiny homes on campus.
The benefits of the housing are immense for people like Petitt. He has no car, and the new property is within walking distance of therapy and doctors. He would also be living in a secure environment with a strong network of fellow service members.
Petitt joined the military when he was 18 after watching the attack on 9/11. He was stationed in both Fallujah and Ramadi, where the famed sniper Kyle was in his unit.
Los Angeles Veterans Affairs housing.jpgPetitt was injured in two vehicle IED blasts, including one in which the person sitting next to him was blown apart. He was also shot at, and the shrapnel from the three incidents has left him with two knee injuries, bulging spinal discs, and an almost complete loss of hearing. But the worst damage is psychological, he said.
“The VA is a good place to work on yourself, and I want to be around other veterans,” Petitt said. But his repeated efforts to snag one of the new homes were dismissed by his VA coordinator.
The VA has said it is working to house veterans across Los Angeles and will hold a lottery for the housing when it becomes available.
“The housing being developed on the grounds of the VA Medical Center is an important resource, but only one of the many efforts VA is making,” VA spokesman Terrence Hayes said. “In the past month, VA has begun a new effort to recruit private sector landlords through innovative incentives.”
When asked why Petitt was told he didn’t qualify for half of the homes within his salary range, Reynolds had no answer.
“Nobody in West LA [VA] is in the loop of what is really going on,” Reynolds said. “Nobody is on the same page. You go one place and hear one answer and go another place to hear another answer.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Reynolds communicated his concerns to Keith Harris, a VA senior official on homelessness, who admitted there is a problem.
“I/we share your concerns here,” Harris said in an email to Reynolds. “I’m working with a large group of people on this to build a case … One of the actions planned is to develop a Veteran Action Board.”
